The Internet Backbone May Soon Reach its Max Capacity
I have some really bad news for all of us who like watching funny kitten videos on YouTube. Scientist have recently concluded the Internet's maximum data capacity may be reached within the next five years. It seems that the optic fiber cables which constitute the so-called "backbone" of the World Wide Web are limited to 100 terabits per second, a cap of which, at the current rate, will be reached by 2020. This conclusion was made public by René-Jean Essiambre of Alcatel-Lucent.
I know this story doesn't seem very serious, but I can assure you it actually is and it even determined a group of researchers and Internet specialists to meet up and gather their forces last week at the Royal Society in London. While struggling to come up with the ways to avoid the upcoming crisis and keep the Web running smoothly the people present suggested some interesting solutions. As far as I've read, the most interesting and plausible idea was the introduction of a new type fiber containing multiple cores that will improve data transmission.
However, we must not forget that the problem we are facing is very real, while the existing solutions are at the moment just a concept, unproven and untested in real-life situations. Fortunately, five years is a long time, and hopefully it will be enough for those with brighter minds than ours to come up with the right answer.
